Should Marijuana Be Legalized?

This paper will look at the benefits and drawbacks to legalizing marijuana by looking in at Colorado.The state made forty million dollars by taxed marijuana in 2014 alone, also Colorado saved countless millions because of the extremely lower amounts of marijuana arrest and court cases. It is not clear how having new recreational marijuana stores opening will affect the cannabis market, or businesses expanding around them. Gov. John Hickenlooper says that the economy is thriving with record setting numbers of tourists (73.1 million). 49 percent of those tourist said that legal marijuana influenced their decisions to vacation in Colorado. The ER’s in Colorado have also seen a rise in numbers of marijuana related cases and those cases in non-residents have almost doubled. An unexpected situation that arose from legal cannabis was the amount of electricity that is being use to grow the drug. Some cannabusinesses have to go green with solar or wind power. There are many varying views on the effects of legal marijuana have developed in Colorado since marijuana became legal in 2014.

“Results released this week for the 2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as NAEP or the “Nation’s Report Card,” show that Colorado students’ scores in reading and math either remained flat or slipped a bit since 2013…” (Colwell). Experts are worried that the same will happen to California students if “Mary Jane” is legalized in California, and they should be. If California Proposition 64 is passed, California students will be negatively impacted. Since legalization will make it easier for one to obtain and use “Mary Jane”, the number of students using marijuana will increase, just like what happened after her legalization in Colorado (“The Legalization of Marijuana”). The students who use “Mary Jane” will experience, firsthand, her often adverse effects on users’ cognitive and psychological abilities/skills. Those effects will distract students from school and prevent them from achieving academic success, just like how it affected students in Colorado (Colwell). Therefore, the academic performance of students in California will decline under the legalization of the recreational use of

Ever since marijuana’s introduction to the United States of America in 1611, controversy of the use and legalization of the claimed-to-be Schedule I drug spread around the nation. While few selective states currently allow marijuana’s production and distribution, the remaining states still skepticize the harmlessness and usefulness of this particular drug; therefore, it remains illegal in the majority of the nation. The government officials and citizens of the opposing states believe the drug creates a threat to citizens due to its “overly-harmful” effects mentally and physically and offers no alternate purposes but creating troublesome addicts hazardous to society; however, they are rather misinformed about marijuana’s abilities. While

In the United States institutionalized prohibition-based cannabis policies defy widely accepted societal values, delegitimizing the state's authority of law, neglecting its responsibility to respect individual free will and ultimately, the right of self-determination. These unjustified policies take a heavy financial and social toll on society, forcing law enforcement to spend time and money to arrest a majority of non-violent, low level-offenders. In addition, marijuana policies and enforcement have been seen as inherently biased and discriminatory. Not only that, but the medical applications of cannabis are increasingly becoming recognized and accepted as a standard in terms of treating diseases and relieving physical or mental ailments. Furthermore, statistics have shown that legalization leads to a decreased use of marijuana among teens and minors. Dollar wise, cannabis

In today’s society marijuana is becoming more normalized and legal in some states. But that does not change the matter that marijuana is illegal under the federal laws. After many states legalizing medical and recreational marijuana, it leaves room for institutions to questions how to handle student use. On this paper, I will be discussing the policies institutions have taken place and how they navigate federal and state laws.

Marijuana usage when discussed brings about debate and division no matter the forum. This is a topic that many individuals feel either one or the other about. Very few feelings can be described as “Middle of the Road”. As students at Texas Christian University we felt that in the time we were in attendance no one had tried to measure how students felt and view Marijuana. This information could be used by organizations such as NORML; it could help them decide whether or not pursuing a NORML chapter on TCU’s campus would be worthwhile. NORML is a marijuana advocacy group that is working to “move public opinion sufficiently to legalize the responsible use of marijuana”.

A controversial social topic surrounding our time has been the issue of legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes. Cannabis sativa, also known as marijuana, was classified by the United States government as a class I drug in 1970, which means that it is against the law to possess and distribute this illegal substance (Source 2). However, in recent years, many states have made marijuana more accessible for medical and recreational use. States such as Colorado and Washington have not just decriminalized possession and distribution, but have enacted laws that encourage the recreational use of cannabis. Around 100 million Americans have experienced this drug (Source 1). Essentially one in four Americans

The researchers designed this experiment to overcome issues associated with previous studies by using data that spanned a seven-year period. The goal of the study was to assess post-college health as a measure of health outcomes for college marijuana users. 1,253 first year college freshmen were recruited for the study. These participants then had an interview with researchers each year for seven years to assess their health status over time. Impairment caused by injury, emotional/mental health issues, quality of life, and illness were assessed to measure health outcomes. Researchers created 6 trajectories to categorize participants (non-use, low-stable, late-increase, early-decline, college peak, and chronic). Calderia, et al., (2012) found that non-users displayed the best health outcomes while late-increase users and chronic users showed the worst health outcomes among participants. Differences among trajectory groups were not noticeable in year one but post-college trajectories differed significantly. The results demonstrated that heavy marijuana use in college can produce negative health outcomes in post-college life. The data suggests that the more frequent marijuana usage is, the more likely someone is to experience negative health

Many parents want a return in their investment of sending their son or daughter to an institution of higher learning. This can now be connected to the student’s grades. With the student’s new mental incapability’s, the parents will start to notice a slippery slope. They will first notice a drop in test grade and closely thereafter, a hindrance in their GPA. The next faze they will see will come from the stress and anxiety. If their son or daughter continues to partake in marijuana they will see the amount of stress and anxiety rise. In the worst case their son or daughter might become a harm to themselves. The next worry of a college students’ parents is their sons’ or daughters’ safety. College students are met with many dangers on a regular basis. Many College students have been taught how to avoid these dangers and if they can avoid them, how to handle themselves. Under the influence of marijuana these teaching can be thrown out the window. The biggest worry for a parent should be for their daughter. As we learned earlier, females are much more susceptive to the side effects than males, especially in the category of sexual behaviors. No parent will want to know that their child is being taken advantage of, hurt or in the worst case scenario, killed. Henceforth, this is why parents should sit down and talk to their child about the side

Success in education must be measured through hard work, perseverance, and dedication- not through the deceiving effects of marijuana. From personal experience, I have had many peers throughout high school and post-secondary who have claimed to use marijuana to help them succeed in school. Currently, in the country of Canada, marijuana is an illegal herbal drug used by many students as a personal key to succeed. Marijuana, also known as “weed”, is relatively inexpensive and easy to come by. Therefore, people use marijuana for various reasons: some use the drug as a way to release stress, while others use it as a calming agent. Consequently, many of these students are deceived by the fact that marijuana is potentially harmless. What many do not know- marijuana can actually be harmful, and that it could pose a potential threat to the student’s success in education. Students should consider avoiding marijuana while pursuing their education as they could potentially be limiting their success in school. Many users do not take the time to understand the full effect of the stimulant and they will smoke ridiculous amounts of marijuana to reach that certain high that will lead them to their idea of “success”. These smokers are slowly deconstructing their futures; the feeling of “keeping chill” is not worth affecting their mind, memory, attention span, thinking process, and physical body.

Grades and academic achievement are almost always associated with drug abuse in college students, reports the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention. According to Muir Wood’s article, “Will My Teen’s Marijuana Use Affect His School Performance?” he states that the “…ingestion of marijuana causes the person to have difficulty in forming memories.” This means that if a student goes to school while being high, he will find it difficult to remember the information he learns, which affects the academic performance of college students. While being high on marijuana, the brain is damaged and a college student cannot engage successfully in any intellectual activity (Wood). Moreover, students tend to spend more time procrastinating. They spend less time studying and spend more time at parties which really has an impact on a student’s academic performance. It also makes them have a hard time to focus on the tasks at hand. According to a study conducted at Loyola Mount University, students who regularly use marijuana tend to get a GPA of a B or even less depleted motivation and concern about the future and their

Should marijuana be legalized? The answer would vary widely depending on the circumstances and who you ask. Marijuana use is prohibited in the state of North Carolina, and is currently only legal in four states and the District of Columbia (State Marijuana Laws Map). It is hard to believe that the same government that banned the drug in the 1930’s actually encouraged the growth of the plant in the 1600’s (Guither). The antagonist against legalization claim that it is highly addicted and will lead to other drug use. Another claim is that it makes an individual violent, although there is not much data to support the allegation. I use to agree with the government and others stance on the subject matter, but I now feel that there is not much difference between Alcohol and Marijuana. As with any substance, whether it is alcohol, drugs, cigarettes or food there is a chance for addiction to occur. However, it should be an individual’s free will to make their own personal decisions.

The Jamestown Settlers where the ones who first brought the Marijuana plant over to North America in 1611. The plant is also commonly known as Hemp to people when it was first introduced. Through the Colonial period in North America hemp fiber was a very important export to this country. In 1762 Virginia would award rewards for those who would cultivate and manufacture the hemp plant. For those who would refuse to produce the hemp plant, faced consequences and penalties. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both grew the hemp on their plantation farms for recreational and medical uses (Medical Marijuana). The current drug laws are doing more harm than actual good. Decriminalizing Marijuana would have a positive effect on the country and even put a dent in drug cartels operations.

The possession, use, cultivation, transportation, and sale of marijuana are illegal under the federal law in the United States. However, the federal government announced that states are allowed to pass a law to legalize marijuana for medical and recreational use, provided that they develop a system to regulate the activities. Under the Controlled Substances Act, passed in 1970, Marijuana is classified as a substance of schedule 1, the highest listing under the legislation. The classification implies that the substance is deemed as possessing a potential for grave abuse, according to the federal government. Nonetheless, the state laws do not always agree with the federal standards, and, as a result, state-level proposals for marijuana decriminalization have led to mixed reactions from the people from all over the nation. Washington, Alaska, Oregon, and Colorado are among the United States that have legalized marijuana for both medicinal and recreational purposes (Cerdá et al. 23). The benefits that the authorities and communities stand with the legalization of the substance are greater than the costs, and, as such, the substance should be legalized across all states in the U.S. though it is of paramount importance that sufficient provisions be put in place to regulate the use of marijuana.

Cannabis, formally known as marijuana is a drug obtained from the tops, stems and leaves of the hemp plant cannabis. The drug is one of the most commonly used drugs in the world. Only substances like caffeine, nicotine and alcohol are used more (“Marijuana” 1). In the U. S. where some use it to feel “high” or get an escape from reality. The drug is referred to in many ways; weed, grass, pot, and or reefer are some common names used to describe the drug (“Marijuana” 1). Like most drugs, marijuana has a very long history. People have been using the plant around the world for thousands of years. The oldest record of the marijuana plant dates back to 2727 B. C. in China where the plant was used as a medical herb for treating conditions like rheumatism, gout, malaria and even absent-mindedness (“Cannabis, Coca, & Poopy: Nature’s Addictive Plants” 1). Slowly, the plant started spreading around the world. By 1545, cannabis was starting to appear throughout the western worlds. Being introduced to South America by the Spanish to be used as fiber. The crop also had many other common uses around the world. In North America, cannabis was often used to make paper, ropes, clothing and other materials (“The Origins of Cannabis” 1).